More than 3,000 non-U.S. visitors attend the annual NACS Show to convene with old and new connections, share firsthand stories and catch up on the latest trends.
This year, the conference will feature the NACS Global Colleagues Reception, an invitation-only event for selected international senior industry leaders; the NACS Global Government Affairs Council meeting, a gathering of association executives from around the globe to share policy developments and initiatives; and the NACS Latin America (LATAM) Committee meeting, one of three regional NACS committees that steer the organization’s international activities.
NACS Global has become a well-connected network of senior leaders from international retailers and suppliers who are passionate about their line of work and dedicated to innovation. Director of NACS Global Mark Wohltmann said the program advances its members’ professions and businesses in the following ways:
- Offering strategic and significant industry connections to prominent individuals and organizations
- Supplying world-class industry knowledge via international insights, thought leadership content and best practice resources
- Providing ongoing, specialized educational events across the globe and at U.S. Ivy League institutions
“When we examined our industry worldwide, we found that the strategic issues we face are the same; but for every issue, there is always one country that is further ahead than others,” Wohltmann said. “Therefore, it is important to bring our senior leaders together across borders to learn from each other and to keep growing our industry against outside competition.”
Industry leaders are invited to attend NACS Convenience Leaders Exchanges to discuss current and upcoming trade issues and trends. These intimate forums focus on countries and country clusters, including Germany/Austria/Switzerland, Poland, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East/North Africa, with potential expansion in 2024.
“Whenever we ask our members in 57 countries what is needed to advance our industry, the common answer is, ‘We need to talk,’” said Wohltmann. “Our industry can only advance if retailers and suppliers keep engaging as one on both trends and opportunities that will continue to help us grow and remain resilient.”
Additional global NACS events include invitation-only CEO Summits in North America, Latin America and Europe, which focus on strategic industry development, and larger Convenience Summits in Europe and Asia. These latter multiday events, occurring in March and June 2024 respectively, include sessions on evolving trends and proven practices as well as in-person store tours.
“The NACS Convenience Summits unite senior leaders from an entire region with those who are interested in learning more about that market,” Wohltmann said. “The events offer a great opportunity to network with non-competing leaders from other countries, discuss best practices seen on store tours and get first-class content on key industry issues from retailers, experts and leading global consultancies.”